Minister Jero to ask banks to help financing smelter

By Bambang Atmaja

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Jero Wacik said that he would ask banking sector to help miners in financing construction of smelters in the country.

Minister Jero said that the help was particularly to be given to the firms which have seriously shown their plan to construct the processing units.

"We will help them if they want to build smelters, we will ask the banking sector to help (financing)," Jero told Petromindo.com at the Coordinating Ministry for Economy.

The government has insisted that miners build smelters in the country and has imposed export restriction on 65 mineral ores in May, but the construction of the processing units costs huge investment.

Editing by Adianto P. Simamora